Churn



Dec. 28,1926. 1,612,464

J. OCONNELL ET AL CHURN Filed April 27, 1925 i 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 28, 1926; 1,612,464

J. o coN ELLE-r AL I CHURN Filed April 27, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet a J. OCONNELL. ET AL GHURN Dec. 28 1926. 1,612,464

Filed April 27, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

JOSEPH OCONNELL AND HAROLD HAMILTON KERR, OF KENSIN'GTON, AUSTRALIA.

.CHURN.

Application filed April 27, 1925, Serial No. 26,104, and in Australia May 22, 192 1.

This invention has been devised to provide improvements in or relating to churns, and refers to that type of churn with rotary motion. The invention is particularly useful for treating cream in the manufacture of butter, but it is to be understood that the use of the invention is not limited thereto as it may be employed for treating such for instance milk or other liquid or semi-liquid, as hereinbefore stated the invention will be clescribed in reference to what is known as the rotary churn, and is especially applicable to one of large dimensions.

The objects of the inven ion a many: one of which is to provide a churn of the class set forth, constructed and arranged to facilitate the working operations essential for the treatment of cream in the production of butter.

Another object of this invention is to provide a churn of the class set forth, constructed and arranged to permit easy and simple access to the interior of the churn during operations.

Another object of this invention is to provide a churn of the class set forth, constructed and arranged to enable the present worker to be dispensed with.

Another object of this invention is to provide a churn of the class set forth, constructed and arranged to enable the butter to be caught by the workers in a manner that it is passed between them, during which it is squeezed to remove the water, at the same time allow suiiicientmoisture to remain therein.

A further object of this invention is to provide a churn of the classset forth, constructed and arranged to allow the body of the churn to rotate and simultaneouslyhold stationary the workers, or it will rotate said workers within the churn barrel.

In order that our invention may be the more easily understood, reference will be made to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a churn showing apparatus embodied in our invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a circular rack with an integral ring for a brake band hereinafter described.

Fig.3 is a sectional rear end view of the churn barrel with certain parts omitted for sake of clearness.

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of the rearend of the churn barrel and illustrates driv ng mechanism connected therewith.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a gear box showing the arrangement of gear wheels and clutch to regulate the speed of the churn barrel as required.

Fig. 6 illustrates in section fast and loose pulley wheels hereinafter referred to and also actuating apparatus controlling a clutch gear hereinafter described.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the control gear referred to in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 illustrates drawn to a. small scale balanced rockers supporting the front of the churn barrel.

Fig. 9 is a part sectional view of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 illustrates the lever handle for actuating the brake band whilst- Fig. 11 shows drawn to a small scale the bearing and packing gland employed for the shaft of the workers at the rear of the churn barrel. '1

In the accompanying drawings 1 is the body of the churn comprising the usual cask or barrel constructed with holding straps 2, said churn barrel isof unusual large dimensions, approximately twice the capacity of the ordinary size churn; at the front of the barrel an opening 3 is provided which during the treatment of the cream in the barrel is closed by any suitable door, but is open during the working of the butter, and by doing so enables the attendant tov clearly in spect the butter during its treatment, and also facilitates the salting thereof, furthermore the removal of the butter is greatly facilitated when its treatment is finished. To facilitate the motion of the barrel 1 and also support the front end thereof, adjustable balanced rockers are employed one at each side of the. barrel, adjacent to the bottom (see Fig. 1). Each rocker comprises a frame 5 mounted on a shaft 6' in a bearing 7 carried by a pedestal 8 stayed by the horizontal beam 9 fixed thereto and to the casing 10 at the rear of the barrel. At each end of the frame 5 are bearing pins 11 for rollers 12 which travel on flange 13 disposed and connected to the front wall 14 of the churn barrel adjacent to its periphery.

The churn barrel 1 is supported at the rear by and receives motion from a driving shaft 15 running in bearings 16 and 1 7 providedv in the casing 10, the said, shaft 15 in turn receives motion by the aid of tooth wheel 18 mounted thereon and Within the casing 10 and gearing including the pinion wheel 19 on the shaft 20 running in the bearing 21 and having a crown wheel 22 at its inner end meshing with the pinion wheel 23 mounted on the transverse shaft 24: herein after termed the direct drive shaft running in bearings 25 and 26 provided in and at the side of the gear case 27 and at the top of the pillar 2S integral with the support'n arm 29. Mounted on the shaft 2st outs l the casing 10 is the fast pulley 36 and the loose pulley 31, the slow motion pulley 32 at the side thereof is mounted on the rotating sleeve 33 on the shaft 24-, extending through the bearing 26, the projecting portion having a pinion gearing with tooth wheel 35 on the shaft 36 running in bearin s 37 and 38. Also mounted on the said sha'rt 36 is the pinion 39 meshing with the tooth wheel 41-0 with female clutch 41 on its face to engage with male clutch a2 keved to the shaft 2 1 by the pin 36 working in the slot 37 to permit longitudinal movement of 42 for engaging or disengaging purposes. Such movement is carried out by the aid of toggle 4:3 in the groove ie of the clutch 42, said toggle being fixed to a bell crank d5 disposed within the casing 27 actuated by the lever 46 hinged at 48 having a weight l7 thereon operating outside the gear case 27. The outer end of the rod 46 is bent (see Figs.

6 and 7) and engages a projection 49, at one side of and under a block 50 sliding on the horizontal rod 51, disposed between and con nected to pillar 28 and the side of the gear case 27. Such block 50 carries the belt shifting arms 52 and on the sliding face of th block 50 a rack 53 is provided, the teeth of which engage a pinion 54; mounted on the shaft 55 carried by the pillars 56 and 57 re spectively, and having an actuating wheel 58 at its outer end.

The workers which comprise the usual longitudinal grooved rollers 59 are mounted on front and rear shafts 60 and 61, the former running in bearings 62 carried by plates 63, secured to the front wall 14 of the churn barrel 1. Each of the shafts 61 runs in a bearing 6 1 with packing gland 65, and mounted on the projecting end of each of the shafts 61 is a pinion 66 which engage the outer and inner teeth of a circular rack 67, supported by arms 68 fixed to a wheel 69 running loose on the driving shaft 15. Integral with the wheel 69 is a flange 70 for a brake band 71, one end of which is fastened to the rod 72, the other end being connected to an arm 73 of a bell crank whose other arm 74 has a rod 75 attached to the arm 76 mounted on the horizontal rod 77 whose rotary movement is controlled by a lever 78 with pawl 79 which engages ratchet 80 mounted on the rod 77.

It will be understood that the workers 59 are disposed parallel, two being adjaunease cent. In each instance they are placed so that on arriving at the position to catch the falling butter, it will drop onto and be carried between them, as they rotate inwardly i. e. towards each other. Such movement is derived by the rotation of the churn barrel, which causes both of the adjacent pinions 66 to run in the same direction i. e. towards the centre, the rotary motion being caused by engaging with rack 66 when stationary.

In operation the cream is placed in any suitable manner within the churn barrel 1, and the door is placed in position to close the opening, after which the actuating wheel 58 is turned and with it the pinion 5st causing the sliding block 5-0 by reason of its rack 55 engaging the teeth of pinion 5a to move in the direction to carry the driving belt 81 by aid of shifters 52 on to the fast pulley 30. The shaft 2a is now rotating and as the clutches l2 and ll are not engaged, the drive is direct, causing the bevel gearing 22 and 23 to impart motion to the pinion 19, and in turn impart the necessary rotary motion to the churn barrel 1. The sleeve 33 audits connecting gear wheels 34, 35, 39 and 40 are now stationary. It will also be noticed that the circular rack 67 rotates with the churn barrel 1, owing to the brake band 71 being loose. This means that the pinions 66 are not rotating, the workers 59 being in the same condition. Upon the cream being worked into butter, it is advisable to rotate the churn barrel 1 at a slower speed, than when the cream is contained therein, therefore the wheel 58 is actuated to move the sliding block 50 along towards the gear case 27, which action causes the shifters 52 to carry the driving belt 81 on to the pulley 32. Simultaneously as the projection 19 passes over on to the lower or bent portion of the hinged red as, weight 17 is allowed to fall,

operating the bell crank 15 to cause the toggle 43 to slide the clutch l2 into engagement with 41, placing in rotation the train of gear wheels 34, 35, 39 and 40, and by doing so reducing the speed of the shaft 24.

Upon the butter reaching a condition to be worked by the workers to impart the pres sure on the butter, the handle 78 will be pulled to cause rod 77 to partly rotate, taking the arm 7 O with it. This causes the rod 75 to operate the arms 74 and 73 of the bell crank, and in doing so tightens the brake band 71 on the surface of the flange 70 of the wheel 69, this action holds the circular rack 67 stationary, and as the churn barrel rotates, motion is imparted to the pinions 66 by reason of their engagement with the rack 67, and as the pinions rotate, the workers 59 also move in unison. While speaking of circular rack 67 it must be understood the gear ratios of inner and outer pinions 66 and rack 67 are the same. This is essential, as it is necessary to have adjacent workers 59 rotating at the same speed or nearly so.

Claims 1. A churn comprising a rotatable drum, a plurality of beater blades arranged in pairs journaled in the drum, an annular member concentric to the axis of the drum, and actuating members fixed on each pair of blades in direct driving connection with the annular member.

2. A churn comprising a rotatable drum, an annular member concentric to the axis of the latter, a plurality of beater blades arranged in pairs journaled in the drum, and actuating members on the blades in driving connection with the inner and outer peripheries of the annular member. i

3. A churn comprising a rotatable drum, an annular member concentric to the axis of the latter having racks formed on its inner and outer peripheries, beater blades arranged in pairs journaled in the drum, and pinions on each pair of blades engaging said racks.

L. A churn comprising a rotatable drum, an annular member concentric to the axis of the latter having racks formed on its inner and outer peripheries and movable with the drum, beater blades journalled in the drum, pinions on the blades in mesh with said racks, and means for locking the annular member against movement with the drum.

5. A churn comprising a horizontal rotary drum, an axial shaft fixed to one end there of, an annular member journaled on said shaft and having racks formed on its inner and outer peripheries, beater blades arranged in pairs journaled in the drum, pinions on each pair of blades in mesh With said racks, means for rotating the drum, and means for locking the annular member against rotation.

6. A churn comprising a horizontal rotary drum, peripherally arranged rollers support ing one end of the latter, an axially arranged shaft fixed to the other end of the drum, means for driving the shaft, an annular member journaled on said shaft and having racks formed on its inner and outer peripheries, beater-blades arranged in pairs journaled in the drum, pinions on each pair of blades engaging said racks, a brake drum on said annular member, and a brake-band for locking the brake drum to prevent movement of the annular member with the pinions.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

JOSEPH OCONNELL. HAROLD HAMILTON KERR. 

